NBA Mock Draft: Magic Shake Things Up at No. 1 Overall

Anything could happen on the night of the 2022 NBA Draft.

The 2022 NBA Draft is just one day away.

While most insiders around the league believe that Jabari Smith Jr. will go first to the Orlando Magic, followed by Chet Holmgren to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Paolo Banchero to the Houston Rockets, anything could happen on Thursday night.

If the Magic do throw a curveball with the No. 1 overall pick, the rest of the night could also be very unexpected as dominos fall in different ways. This could drastically change Oklahoma City's plans.

One example of this is a mock draft that Zach Harper of The Athletic recently put out. 

How would these lottery teams look if the 2022 NBA Draft unfolded this way? The Thunder have two picks in the top 12, meaning there's quite a few directions they could go.

1. Orlando Magic: Chet Holmgren (Center | Gonzaga)

James Snook / USA TODAY Sports

2. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jabari Smith Jr. (Forward | Auburn)

Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports

3. Houston Rockets: Paolo Banchero (Forward | Duke)

[Theo John]

4. Sacramento Kings: Keegan Murray (Forward | Iowa)

Steven Branscombe / USA TODAY Sports

5. Detroit Pistons: Bennedict Mathurin (Guard | Arizona)

Soobum Im / USA TODAY Sports

6. Indiana Pacers: Shaedon Sharpe (Guard | Kentucky)

Jordan Prather / USA TODAY Sports

7. Portland Trail Blazers: Dyson Daniels (Guard | G League Ignite)

Jayne Kamin / Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

8. New Orleans Pelicans: Ochai Agbaji (Guard | Kansas)

Jay Biggerstaff / USA TODAY Sports

9. San Antonio Spurs: Jaden Ivey (Guard | Purdue)

Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier-USA TODAY NETWORK

10. Washington Wizards: AJ Griffin (Forward | Duke)

Joseph Maiorana / USA TODAY Sports

11. New York Knicks: Jalen Duren (Center | Memphis)

Joe Rondone / The Commercial Appeal-USA TODAY NETWORK

12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Ousmane Dieng (Forward | International)

Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports

13. Charlotte Hornets: Mark Williams (Center | Duke)

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

14. Cleveland Cavaliers: Johnny Davis (Guard | Wisconsin)

Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier-USA TODAY NETWORK

 

Smith Jr. and Ousmane Dieng would certainly give Oklahoma City two swings at their wings of the future. Both have tremendous upside and incredible length.

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